News Headlines from Sanook

I'm going to try something different today. I've taken a screen shot of the Thai news website, Sanook. It's a great place to practice your Thai as you're sure to find something that interests you. As well as current events, they've also got stories about sports, health, fashion, celebrities and much more. The headlines are short for those who want quick Thai practice and you can always go and click the links to get the full story if you want something deeper.

Thai Oil Drilling Petition

Today's post isn't so much a lesson as a call for help. I received the following email in Thai yesterday about PTT's plans to conduct further drilling close to the island of Samui in the future. I thought I'd translate it for you so you could join in on the petition and hopefully give this group the chance to preserve the Gulf of Thailand in the future. Read on and click the links I've provided if possible. Thanks.

Koala March Shake Lesson

A recent trend in the Thai community is to take a box of Koala March biscuits (as pictured above) and shake them until they've all been mixed together. Typically, these little biscuits are koala-shaped but after the vigorous shaking, they take on a slightly different form. Let's watch a video in Thai of someone who's done this to two flavours of Koala March. Listen closely and see how much you can pick up on the first few viewings.

Thai Language Reading Test

As you know, sometimes the Thai language's missing vowels can make reading quite difficult. This fact isn't forgotten on the Thais themselves, some of whom have created some incredibly confusing reading tests for native speakers. The above is just one example of this and, as you can see, it consists of very few written vowels.

MRTA Notice, Part 2

 

In our last lesson, we looked at a notice placed by the MRTA in the motorcycle parking lot at Ladprao Station. Because of its size though, I decided to leave it until now to examine the two smaller signs that were posted alongside the larger notice. For your education and information, I've written the second half of the lesson below!

MRTA Notice, Part 1

 

For today's lesson, I'm going to look at a sign I spotted in the motorcycle parking area at Ladprao MRT station. Since this is a relatively large block of text, I'll first translate each sentence including the transliterated words for your information.

Music Lesson, No 1: รักต้องเปิด (แน่นอก)

In the past week or so, a new song, รักต้องเปิด (แน่นอก) or Rak Dtawng Bpeert (Naaen Ok), has exploded across Thailand, forming an army of satisfied fans while angering some more conservative Thais. In this lesson, I thought I'd go over the lyrics to the song so you know what all the fuss is about. Before we go into more detail, watch the video and see how much you can pick up.

Controversial Thai TV Ad: Skin Whitening Drink

Let's do something a bit different for today's Thai lesson. A few days ago, a television advertisement for a skin whitening drink, L-Gluta Berry Plus, by the company, Verena, caused some controversy in Thailand as it was deemed racist (specifically towards Africans and African-Americans). I thought I'd go through the script so you could understand what's going on in the clip.

First, here's the ad so you can watch it. See how much you can pick up in the first listen.

Some Thai Slang

This photo has been shared quite a bit on Facebook recently, so I thought I'd explain what the words and language mean to my farang readers. This is basically a list of recent Thai slang that's become popular. If you want to speak or chat online in a natural manner, these are the words to use. In the picture, the Thai slang is in the left column while the proper Thai phrase is on the right. I've added the English translations below.